Cerberus Enchantress
by alimination602
Summary: Shepard talks with Miranda after assisting her in relocating her sister Oriana.


Chapter 1- Cerberus Enchantress

SR-2 Normandy slipped silently through the dark void of space like the stalk of a phantom in the darkness. The ships prototype engine hummed silently up from the lower decks. Commander Jane Shepard stepped through the Main Crew Quarters, overhearing her crew's compliments about the new and improved menu she had helped Sergeant Gardner to implement.

She whisked silently passed them without notice, stepping into the concealed office behind the mess hall. As always Shepard found her second in command, Miranda Lawson, perched over her desk, typing out another progress report to The Illusive Man. She looked up from her work, reaching up to pass a stray strand of long black hair back into place behind her ear.

"Thanks again Shepard. Taking the time to help me find my sister" As head the of Cerberus's Lazarus Cell Miranda spent most of her time consumed in her work, leaving little time for idle talk. But when they did find time it was always one of her favourite moments of the day. "I couldn't have reached Oriana in time without your help"

Miranda rose to her feet, leaving her work on the desk behind her. She stepped across her relatively spacious quarters in just a few steps, sitting down in another chair laid out in front of the window with graceful elegance. For a few moments she simply stared out of the window into the deep, empty void of space broken only by the gentle flow of bright blue streams of radiation sweeping past the window. Shepard stood silently and waited for her to continue. "I'm glad Niket tried to redeem himself… for what good it did. Thank you for stopping me, Commander"

"Sounds like you had a soft spot for him" Miranda had known Niket nearly all of her life. And had only ever spoken of him in the most favourable of terms, it was reasonable to assume Miranda must have seen something sweet within him. Even if she never admitted it.

"I didn't have many friends. Niket was one of them. He never wanted anything from me. He was… safe. Comfortable. A reminder of a more innocent time I suppose"

"Are you happy about your sister's relocation?" Shepard inquired.

"She has what I wanted her to have- a normal life, and the freedom to choose her own path. And she knows she has an older sister. A friend" Growing up as a single child on several different Alliance warships ensured that Jane had neglected to experience the sibling bond herself.

"Are you goanna talk to her again?"

"I honestly don't know. For once, I haven't planned that far ahead" Miranda was a meticulous planner- she had her schedule, her work, all of it was laid out days in advance. The fact that she'd admitted she didn't have a plan for this really said something. "I'll deal with it after our mission. I have to stay focused, and she needs time to adjust to her new home"

"You never told me what you talked about" Shepard stepped forward, sashaying silently past her, sitting on the ledge next to the window.

"I introduced myself. Her family was shocked. She adjusted quickly, of course. She's as smart as I am. She plays the violin. Loves the adagio movement of Nielsen's Fifth, just like I do. She wants to work in colony development. Told a joke about it. She's really funny. Something we don't share"

"It's funny, I usually think of you as all business. Nice to see that there's a person under there" Shepard smiled. Miranda closed her eyes, allowing the wave of serenity to wash over her. The last few weeks had been hectic- travelling billions of light-years, gathering a team of the most random individuals she had ever encountered who in any other situation would have likely split each others heads open before entertaining the idea of working together. It was amazing to see what a little charisma and the fate of the galaxy being at stake could do to bring people together.

Miranda just savoured the moment a little longer; she rarely had the time since becoming head of the Lazarus cell of Cerberus to just sit around and think. Miranda allowed a smile to creep onto her lips. She looked up; Janes warming smile a mirror image to her own. Miranda rose up from her seat, stepping forward to embrace Shepard in a comforting hug. "Thanks Shepard. You really looked out for me"


End file.
